Musubi
by nocloudypooh
Summary: Not knowing that she's the daughter of the ex-president, clan heir Uchiha Itachi and son of the Konoha Police Chief starts to fall in love with one his maids, Uzumaki Naruto. Against the backdrop of Konoha's political secrets and struggles, how will their love endure? Can Naruto recover her legacy as the First Daughter? [fem!Naruto x Itachi] modern!AU
1. Prologue

**Musubi: Prologue**

 _Musubi.  
_ _It's the thread that binds us all.  
_ _It's how we're all connected.  
_ _It's how fate ties us all together, even if we don't realise it._

 _..._

"I found her," Kakashi said quietly to the phone.

For a moment, it was as if time stopped.

"Really?" Fugaku asked, relief flooding his voice.

"Yes I'll bring her over at night."

"Make sure no one sees you."

"Hai."

...

Shortly before midnight, a black car pulls up by the Uchiha Manor, and was quickly ushered behind the tall walls. Fugaku and Mikoto went out to greet their late guests, hovering anxiously by the doorway.

"Is that her?" Mikoto asked in a hushed voice, when Kakashi emerged from the car, leading a small little girl behind him, carefully hiding herself in the legs of the silver-haired man in the presence of strangers.

Kakashi nodded, and Fugaku forestalled any further questions by beckoning them into the house, where they would be safe from prying eyes and ears.

"Where did you find her?" Fugaku asked once they were in his study.

"On the streets," Kakashi replied, his tone belying exactly how he felt about the situation. "She was well hidden, and wouldn't trust anyone who approached her. I had to coax her out of her hiding place after multiple assurance that I wasn't going to do anything to her."

"She doesn't remember anything?" Mikoto asked tentatively, earning a shake in response.

Fugaku grimaced at the information, closing his eyes to offer silent apologies to Minato and Kushina for failing their daughter. Beside him, Mikoto gasped and brought a hand up to her mouth, her eyes wet as she thought of what the six year old girl must have gone through in the past two years. Taking a breath to compose herself, Mikoto slowly approached the little girl, taking care not to scare her with sudden movements. She knelt down gingerly in front of her, and spoke in her motherly voice. "It's alright now, Naru-chan, nobody will hurt you now that we've found you. I promise. We won't let the bad guys get you again."

Her words did nothing to coax her out from behind Kakashi's leg though, and the three of them exchanged a look before Mikoto placed her attention on Naruto again. "Naru-chan?" she called unsurely, a hand reaching out to stroke her.

There was a sharp intake of breath when Mikoto's hand touched Naru, and blue eyes lifted up at last, showing her face to the Uchiha Matriarch and Patriarch for the first time that night. But what they saw made their hearts grow cold.

"Her face..!" Mikoto gasped, eyes wide as she stared at Naru, causing Naruto to shrink back on herself and behind Kakashi's legs once again. Across the cheeks of the little girl's face was six long slash marks reminiscent of whiskers marks, disfiguring what was once smooth skin of a beautiful little girl. From the state of the slash marks, Fugaku could tell that they were made long ago as they have healed completely, though they must have been deep cuts or kami forbid, made multiple times for it to be scarred so heavily.

"She was already like this when I found her," Kakashi bit out, his unoccupied fist clenched in anger and self-guilt at the thought.

Turning back to the hiding girl, Mikoto fought to compose herself. "I'm sorry, Naru-chan. I didn't mean to react so badly, I was just surprised. Please forgive me, neh?"

There was no response from the girl, and Mikoto grew increasingly worried. "Naru-chan?" she called again, moving her hands towards the blond girl once again, while Kakashi gently rubbed his thumb on the small hand he was holding as encouragement. This time, the girl barely flinched away, and slowly lifted her head up to meet the concerned gaze of the adults, her blue eyes reflecting her uncertainty and insecurity.

Her eyes flitted from one adult to another and she must have saw something in the eyes of the adults in front of her because she opened her mouth to speak for the first time since entering the Manor, albeit timidly. "I am safe?"

Mikoto smiled gently at the child in front of her, resisting her maternal instincts to hug the girl, because she was sure it would scare her even more. "You are safe here, Naru-chan. Fugaku and I will protect you here. And you trust this nii-san here to protect to you, no? That's why you came with him, right? So he will only bring you to a place with good guys, neh?"

Hesitantly, Naruto nodded, a tiny smile blossoming on her face. "Thank you," she said, giving a short bow to illustrate her sincerity.

Smiling as an image of a younger Naru doing the same crossed her mind, Mikoto offered her hand to the girl. "Come, Naru-chan, we'll wash you up and settle in."

Naruto raised her head towards Kakashi, earning a short nod, before releasing Kakashi's hand, and taking Mikoto's hand instead. Just before the two females left the room however, Naruto stopped and addressed the adults in the room with a question. "Is Naruto really my name?"

Fugaku and Mikoto froze, both turning to Kakashi for an explanation for such a question, but he had closed his eyes at the question, his face teeming with pain and regret. "Do you not know what your name is?" Mikoto asked carefully, earning a headshake in response. "That is really your name, Naru-chan. Your full name is Nami-" Mikoto explained, only to be cut off by Fugaku's hand on her shoulder.

"Uzumaki. Your full name is Uzumaki Naruto. Naru is just your nickname that we got used to calling you," Fugaku explained easily.

Soundlessly, Naruto mouthed her name to herself, slowly acquainting herself to her newly found real name. "I like Naruto better than Naru," she decided, looking up at the adults in askance.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Mikoto agreed with a smile. "Of course Naru-ch- Naruto-chan. I'll remember not to call you Naru-chan anymore. Come, let's get you ready for bed." Glancing back at the men in the room, Mikoto excused herself to settle Naruto in her new home.

The moment the door closed, Fugaku heaved a loud sigh and collapsed into an armchair, his hand rubbing his temple to sooth the pain.

"You lied about her surname," Kakashi intoned, unsure if he should be angry at or grateful to the older man.

"It would be safer for her," Fugaku murmured, willing the younger man to understand. "Her name would stand out like a beacon, and make it all the more easier for Danzo to find her. She is much safer with Kushina's last name, with her many cousins spread across the Elemental Nations. It would be even better if she has a first name that won't raise alarm bells, but I can't bear to take away the only thing she has left of her parents."

Kakashi closed his eyes. "She used to love it when sensei and Kushina-nee call her by her nickname," he whispered, grief washing over him much again.

Fugaku didn't reply, similarly lost in his memories. After a moment, Kakashi asked, "How are you going to keep her safe?"

"Hide her, camouflage her. Anything that would make it hard for Danzo to pinpoint the child," he replied wearily.

There was silence as both men stewed in how screwed up the whole situation is. "I'm going to make Danzo pay for all of this," Kakashi promised lowly .

Fugaku looked up at the silver-haired man tiredly. "You're not the only one, kid."

...

"Did you find her?" a man asked from the shadows.

"I'm sorry, Danzo-sama, but we lost her trail."

There was a tense silence as Danzo considered the information he had just received.

"Keep looking," he ordered. "I want her found."

"Hai, Danzo-sama."

"Has the boy said anything yet?"

"No, sir. He is still very tight-lipped about the whole thing."

Danzo narrowed his eyes at the news. "Keep going at it, I don't care how young he is. I want information out of that boy and I know he has it."

The informant gave a bow in acknowledgement, before moving to dismiss himself.

"Keep an eye out on the clan compounds as well. Especially the Uchihas, " he ordered before the man left the room.

The door snapped shut and Danzo was left to his thoughts. "So young and she had already gained such strong loyalties," he mused to himself. "She would make a good leader one day," he frowned, an unpleasant feeling rising in his throat.

"There are traitors within your men," another man commented from the shadows.

"Indeed," Danzo agreed. "The escape would be impossible with just the planning of two children."

"The question is, who?"

* * *

 **A/N:**

I need to admit, I'm bad with titltes. Musubi is the working title for now, and yes I borrowed it from Your Name but I felt that it was suitable, though I don't find it to be absolutely perfect at the moment. The alternative is The Thread that Links Us, which is kind of similar, but different. Musubi seems a little bit more elegant, but The Thread that Links Us is a little bit more catchy. Which one do you prefer, and why?


	2. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**Chapter 1: Beginnings**

 _"Naru-ch- Naruto-chan, you'll stay with us from now on, alright? I'm going to bring you to your new room so you can sleep, and we'll talk more tomorrow, alright?" Mikoto said as she steered Naruto down the corridors of the manor. Naruto nodded mutely, though her eyes scanned and took note of her surroundings, as if willing herself to commit the place to memory so she can clock an escape route. Mikoto's heart broke a little more at her behaviour, but she steeled herself and put on a convincing smile for the blond girl._

 _"Okaa-san?" a young voice called out. Itachi stood at the doorway to the kitchen, a glass of water cupped in his hands, looking curiously at the girl accompanying his mum in the middle of the night._

 _"Itachi-chan," Mikoto called, surprised to see her eldest son. "What are you doing up so late at night?"_

 _"I was thirsty," he replied sheepishly, sneaking curious glances at the girl who looks to be about the same age as his younger brother._

 _"Ah, yes, Naru-chan, this is my son Itachi. He's just a few years older than yo- Naru-chan? Naru-chan are you alright?" Mikoto asked, startled at the expression on Naruto's face._

 _Beside her, Naruto had frozen still at the sight of the Uchiha heir, his pale skin and black hair triggering her memories of another pale skin, black haired male. Her eyes widened in a horrified expression, her breath becoming shorter and shorter at the trigger, driving her into a fit._

 _"What's going on?" Fugaku's voice came from behind. His talk with Kakashi over, both men stepped out of the study and noted the commotion in the kitchen hallway._

 _"She's having a panic attack!" Mikoto cried, unsure of what to do in the situation._

 _Not to be told twice, Kakashi quickly stepped up in front of Naruto and attempted to calm her down. Holding her close to him and murmuring soothing words into her ears, Naruto gradually got her breathing under control, tearing her eyes away from Itachi at last, before bursting into tears in Kakashi's arms. A minute later, and she's emotionally drained from the ordeal, her sobs and red-eyes the only indication of her panic attack and breakdown. Kakashi gently picked her up, before gesturing to Mikoto to lead the way to her sleeping quarters._

 _All throughout, Itachi was left standing there, watching the scene unfold with childlike curiosity and worriedness._

 _"You should head back to bed," his father's voice interrupted his thoughts._

 _Throwing one last glance at the retreating figures of his mother and the silver-haired man carrying the blond girl, Itachi gave a quick bow before heading back to his room._

 _"She has pretty hair," he muses in bed later, his sleepy mind replaying his meeting with the girl, "and pretty eyes too."_

 _"Naru-chan, hmm," he murmured sleepily, recalling the name his mother called the young girl._

 _For a long time afterwards, Itachi would be searching for a blond girl around the age of his brother with scars on her face, drawn to her for some reason he is unable to fathom. There was something about her that sparked familiarity, but his young mind could never figure it out, and memories fade when he gets older. He never did find the girl he's looking for._

...

Itachi woke up to a semi-bright room and was momentarily confused as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Turning to the clock on his bedside, he cursed under his breath and jumped out of bed. 6.50am, it read and he's supposed to leave house in 10 minutes if he wants to be early, as he always had been.

Already in a bad mood from a bad start to the day, Itachi stormed to the bathroom to wash up and have a hurried shower. Eyes on the time, he quickly changed his clothes and he dashed out of the room, knowing he would be late for the student council meeting held before class otherwise. Long legs took large strides as he made his way to the door, and he paid no attention to the Manor maid passing him in the opposite direction, even as she bowed in greeting.

"Itachi-sama." A voice - the maid - called out from behind him.

Annoyed, he halted abruptly and nearly snarled at the poor maid who dared to stop him that day. "What?"

The maid cocked her head a little to the side, and Itachi took a moment to take in her appearance. There was nothing notable about her, dressed in the Manor maid attire, though it was curious that half her face seemed to be covered by a yellow scarf like material.

"You wore your shirt inside out, Itachi-sama."

Itachi blinked, before looking down at himself. Sure enough, he had wore his shirt wrong side out in his haste to leave the house. "Thanks," he said hastily, before turning to the direction of his room to wear his shirt properly again, muttering curses under his breath for being so careless that day.

"You're welcome."

Belatedly, Itachi was vaguely surprised she hasn't ran off when he rounded on her, because his foul mood was known to have driven maids to tears before. Not this maid apparently. 'Maybe she's new,' he thought absentmindedly to himself, for he hadn't seen her around the Manor before - though it's not like he had paid much attention to Manor maids in the past.

That was not the first time Uchiha Itachi met Uzumaki Naruto, but that was the moment Uchiha Itachi registered Uzumaki Naruto as more than just another maid in the Uchiha Manor.

Afterall, not once did she swoon over him at such close proximity. That, and she has pretty blue eyes.

...

"Have you found anything yet?" Danzo addressed the masked man in front of him.

"No, sir. None of the girls we identified is the target we are looking for," the man replied, head bowed low as he knelt on the ground.

Danzo narrowed his eyes, displaying his displeasure at the news. "I expected better from you, Kinoe. It has been years since I tasked you with this."

"My apologies, Danzo-sama. It appears that the Uchiha are more meticulous than we expected."

"Those damn Uchihas!" Danzo cursed, his arm slammed on the table. "They are sneakier than I expect them to be."

"If I may suggest, Danzo-sama, perhaps we can expand the search to girls with either of those traits, or even for boys as well. The Uchihas could have altered her appearance to throw us off or it could be possible that-"

"Enough," Danzo interrupted. "That will take too long and far too much energy. We will abandon this task for now."

"As you wish, Danzo-sama," Kinoe replied. "Do you have another task for me?"

"Get closer to the Uchihas. I want you to join the police force and spy on them. Especially the ones close to the Clan Head. Keep an eye out for the Hatake as well."

"Hai, Danzo-sama," Kinoe answered dutifully, before rising to make his way out of the room.

"Kinoe," Danzo called out, halting him in his steps. "Do not fail me," he warned.

Giving a nod to signify that he has received the message, Kinoe left the room.

"Can he be trusted?" a voice asked from the shadow once the door closed.

"There are no reasons to believe otherwise," Danzo replied, though he frowned in response.

"That doesn't stop you from being suspicious does it?" the man asked silkily.

Danzo didn't reply immediately. "We shall see," he said finally.

* * *

 **Story notes:**

(1) Itachi and Naruto are not like their canon personalities, because this is not canon. The changes in events leads them to having different personality than canon, though some traits will remain.

(2) This will be a long story, and I'm choosing to not reveal things about the story from the get-go. You are welcome to make guesses and be shrouded in mystery, and I would love to hear them (:

(3) This chapter is pretty much the manner I have chosen to write the story: flashback, present, present (antagonist).

First posted: 13/7/17

Edited: 12/8/17 - added more details on Naruto's appearance.

 **A/N:**

I was stuck writing this story (and several others that I'm hopping around), which is why I've held off posting this. As a matter of fact, the prologue and Chapter 1 are pretty much all I have for the story, along with drafts of key events that I have planned out for the story. Everything in between is quite honestly a blank and I seriously have no idea what the next chapter will be. But I just had my graduation ceremony yesterday and I really wanted to post something and the start of this story is the most completed out of the others. Hence, I seek you help for ideas on Itachi/Naruto's interaction, as well as other characters. I probably won't be able to incorporate all of them into the story, but at least that will kickstart my brain into thinking of scenes to write.

To followers, thank you for the long wait, and I'm grateful that you have liked my Naruto stories so far. This is a rather different style from the Naru/kaka that I've posted though, so I hope this suits your taste (pairing aside). To new readers, I hope you will enjoy this story. I look forward to a long ride with all of you. (I refer to this story as Naru/Ita modern AU epic in my head, so that tells you what I think of the story).


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Masks and Identity**

 _Kakashi gently stroke Naruto as she slept on the guest bed Mikoto has prepared for her. "We will need to disguise her further," he says quietly, eyes not quite leaving the sight of his sensei's daughter._

 _Mikoto looked on despondingly, her heart sinking at how much danger Naruto is still in, despite being under the protection of the Uchihas._

 _"We will have to dye her hair," Fugaku input. "Her hair would be too revealing. I would suggest getting her contacts too, but she's too young and it might not be the best."_

 _Mikoto glanced at the head of blond hair, hesitant because of nostalgia. But she understood the dangers - they all did. "A neutral colour like brown or black would be good," she suggested._

 _Fugaku frowned. "I was thinking of red to help her camouflage with the Uzumakis."_

 _"I don't think she should go around with the Uzumaki name," Kakashi interjected. "It was a lie, but I think that should be something she keeps to herself. Her relation to the Uzumaki isn't exactly a secret."_

 _"What do you suggest then?" Mikoto asked._

 _"Brown would be a more common colour in the Elemental Nations, but black would help her blend in a little more with the Uchiha," he thought out loud._

 _"Brown then," Fugaku decided._

 _"What about her facial scars?" Mikoto asked, choking slightly on her words._

 _There was silence as the adults pondered over it, a tinge of sorrow as they thought of how she would be disfigured for the rest of her life. A shift from the bed brought all eyes to Naruto as she blinked awake, probably from the adults talking over her. She glanced nervously from one adult to the other. "Can I wear a mask like Kaka-nii?" she asked hesitantly._

 _Fugaku and Mikoto shared a surprised look, while Kakashi continue to stroke Naruto's hair fondly. "Is that what you want?" he asked._

 _The young girl nodded in response._

 _"Alright then, brown hair and a mask."_

 _..._

"Teuchi-san, could you help me prepare a snack? A sandwich or something similar will do," Itachi requested as he entered the Manor kitchen. Like many parts of the Manor, the kitchen is most frequented by the maids and staff, and it is a rare occasion for members of the Uchiha family to make a special trip there. Unless of course, you're Uchiha Mikoto, who made it her personal mission to take charge of the household as personally as she could as the lady of the house.

To Itachi's surprise, his request was met with a pair of bright blue eyes, rendering him mute for a moment as their eyes locked. Before he could say anything though, he was interrupted with a reply from the Head Cook's daughter, drawing his attention away from the blue eyed mystery. "Otou-san is taking a break at the moment," Ayame said cheerily. "If you don't mind, I could make you some snacks instead."

"Yes, please," he replied, his gaze landing distractedly on the masked girl as Ayame scuttled away to make his snack. The girl caught his eye again, but ducked away quickly as she resumed her kitchen chores, and Itachi made the decision then to talk to the girl who had been on the edge of his thoughts for the past few weeks.

"I don't see you around the Manor much, are you new here?" he asked curiously. The Manor hires plenty of maids, but few stay for long. Mostly because either Itachi or Sasuke will fire them in a fit of annoyance, among other reasons.

"I'm not," she politely replies. "I usually work in the kitchen or the back tasks. Perhaps that is why you do not see me often."

"I see…" he trailed off. "What's your name?"

The maid blinked, and Itachi could tell that she was surprised by the question even as she isn't looking at him. "You may called me Natsumi, Itachi-sama."

"Natsumi," Itachi repeated, pleased that he finally got a name to match the girl that he had been thinking of. They were quiet for a moment as Itachi observed Natsumi at her task. "You seem different from the other maids in the Manor," he blurted out eventually, accidentally voicing his thoughts out loud.

There was a soft chuckle and Natsumi turned to him with her eyes crinkled in smile. For someone whose face is half covered, Itachi thought that she was very expressive, and it made him all the more curious why she would hide half her face under a scarf. "You mean the fan girls?" she asked knowingly.

"Here's your sandwich, Itachi-sama!" Ayame announced, bringing the plate of sandwich in front of him. For a moment Itachi was confused as he had been so comfortable conversing with Natsumi, but the confusion was gone in a moment and he accepted the plate from Ayame. "Thank you, Ayame-san, Natsumi-san." He nodded at the other kitchen helper and left the kitchen with his requested snack.

Behind him, Natsumi looked on amusedly as Ayame craned her neck out of the kitchen until Itachi could no longer be seen, before she turned back and rounded on the younger girl. "What did Itachi-sama talk to you about, Natsu-chan?" she asked excitedly.

"Nothing much," she shrugged. "Just asked me for my name."

"He asked for your name?" Ayame half squealed, her excitement bursting from inside her. "He never asks the maids for their name!"

"Maybe he just wanted to be polite since we are talking?" Natsumi answered, not really understanding why the older girl was so excited that Itachi had asked for her name.

"Are you kidding me? Itachi-sama has a reputation around here for ignoring most of the maids and here he is asking for your name and you act like it's no big deal. So many maids would kill to be in your position," Ayame gushed.

"And I would never understand why all the maids seem to find him so attractive that they would lose their mind over him," Natsumi deadpanned.

Ayame shook her head as she threw a exasperated fond look to the younger girl. "I'm not sure to be happy or disappointed that you have not grown up to appreciate the fine details of the male species, Natsu-chan. And _you_ practically grew up in the Uchiha Manor with _me_."

Natsumi ignored her sister figure, contently attending to her kitchen task.

"One day, you'll understand and then we can talk all about boys," Ayame promised determinedly.

...

Tenzou walked nervously into the Konoha Main Police Station, fidgeting slightly as his eyes glanced from side to side. "Ah, excuse me," he said to the reception. "My name is Tenzou, and I'm looking for a Hatake Kakashi."

The receptionist looked down at her list. "Kimura Tenzou?" she asked, receiving a nod in response. "Hatake-san will be down in a moment. Please take a seat while he arrives."

Tenzou waited patiently as he waited for Hatake Kakashi to appear. He had been surprised that his admission into the police force had been so quick, but there was little delay once he had spoken to Kakashi. He smirked internally at his progress. Things are moving slowly, but he is sure that the time will come for them to make their move at last. All he needs is patience.

* * *

 **Story notes:**

(1) Minor updates to the previous chapter if you read it before this chapter is posted. This is to account for some new details to Naruto's appearance, specifically that she is masked. I needed her to cover up her facial scars and I thought that makeup or some sort of concealer seemed a little much for a child to manage.

(2) Natsumi is the alias that Naruto uses since she started living in the Uchiha Manor. Depending on the perspective, Naruto and Natsumi will be used interchangeably. _Natsu_ means summer. _M_ _i_ can mean many things, but I'm thinking it to mean sea, so it's some sort of reference to her heritage (blond hair/summer, sea/Uzushio).

(3) I'm evidently playing with the many names of Tenzou. There is no known surname for Tenzou, so I took Kimura. _Ki_ means tree, wood, while _mura_ means town, village.

 **A/N:**

I'm still kinda stuck on this, but I've written out some more specific scenes, so it's more a problem of stringing everything together. At the moment, I fear that the story will be disjointed because I don't want to do day by day progressions - that will take way too long, and require me to generate too much content to embellish the story. The focus of the story will be on the mystery behind Naruto's background and the political plot, of which Itachi will gradually be a part of. And then the romance. Still slow going at this stage, because I still need to introduce a lot of base information to readers. Let me know if you have any questions or have some aspect that you want to see in the story.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Uchihas**

 _"Itachi-nii!" Naruto called, running as fast as her three year-old legs would allow towards the older boy. "Sas'ke being mean again!" she whined._

 _"Was not!" Sasuke argued back, who had been quick to follow behind the running blond._

 _"Was too!" she asserted childishly, her arms crossed, displaying her displeasure to maximum effect._

 _Sasuke bristled indignantly at the accusation, but Itachi opened his mouth to forestall further arguments. "What did he do?" he asked the girl whom he thinks of as his little sister._

 _"He pulled my hair!" Naruto pouted, touching her pigtails as she did so._

 _At that, Itachi turned a sharp look at his younger brother and found him shifting guiltily on his feet. Still, he felt a need to ask. "Is it true?"_

 _"Her hair hits me when she runs about," he defended, only to shrink back again at the look on his brother's face. Even at this young age, Itachi means the world to him and revered his older brother to the ends of the world. Well, him and Naruto both._

 _"Apologise," Itachi ordered sternly. "You should not be pulling Naru-chan's hair."_

 _Sasuke scrunched up his face in displeasure but did as he was told. "I'm sorry for pulling your hair, Naruto," he said sulkily. "But you still shouldn't tie your hair in silly pigtails!" he added quickly, before running away from the two._

 _Naruto looked affronted at the last line, though Itachi could see that she had been hurt by Sasuke's childish mean remarks. Not wishing his sister figure to be upset, he comforted her gently. "I don't think your hair is silly, Naru-chan."_

 _Said girl looked surprised for a moment before beaming at him, and Itachi was glad that she had reverted back to normal at least. "Thanks Itachi-nii!" she chimed, before stopping to think of something. "When I grow up," she said in all seriousness of a three year-old, "I'm going to marry someone nice like Itachi-nii. And not a meanie like Sasuke-teme!" she shouted the last part in the direction of Sasuke._

 _Itachi for his part chuckled quietly at the girl, and merely patted her head, being careful not to mess up her hairstyle._

 _From the side, their mothers watched amusedly at the children and laughed out loud at Naruto's declaration. "You know, I wouldn't mind if Naru-chan marry Tachi-kun," Kushina commented jokingly._

 _Mikoto shook her head at her close friend, though she still had a grin on her face. "They're still young. Though if Itachi-chan don't grow out of his fear for girls in the future, that might become true."_

 _"And then we're going to be family for real!" Kushina exclaimed, bursting with typical energy, and Mikoto laughed alongside her as they jokingly discussed how their future grandchildren will look like._

 _When it is time for the Namikazes to leave, Naruto had already gotten over the hair pulling episode and warmly hugged the Uchihas goodbye._

 _Had they known that it would be years for them to even see Naruto again, they might have hugged her a little longer, a little tighter._

...

"Itachi, you can't keep firing the maids that attend to you!" Mikoto scolded resignedly. That made it the third maid that Itachi had fired this year, not counting the seven that Sasuke fired. Idly she wondered if she had spoilt her boys a little too much after the Naruto Accident, causing them to have such short tempers and tolerance. Though it could also be a case of Madara's genes being strong in them, giving them the famous Uchiha temper.

"I'll stop firing the maids if they stop stealing my things as souvenirs, Mother," Itachi retorted dryly. "Especially if it's my underwear that they are stealing."

Mikoto's breath hitched a little, choking back a laugh as she was reminded of the accident. It was undoubtedly funny to know that her son's underwear were sought after amongst the maids, though it was of course, highly inappropriate. Itachi and Sasuke, unsurprisingly did not find it amusing at all, and were horrified by the discovery.

Itachi raised his eyebrows knowingly at his mother. "Or you could just remove the rule that only maids around our age can attend to us," Itachi continued hopefully.

Mikoto levelled an unimpressed look onto her oldest son. "I'll start doing that only when you start paying attention to girls, Itachi. Honestly Itachi! Even Sasuke has a few female friends his age but you, none, none!" Mikoto grumbled unhappily. "You're eighteen, Itachi. It's about time you start paying attention to girls." She pinned him with a look. "I want grandchildren someday you know!"

Itachi stifled an exasperated groan, though he very much wanted to roll his eyes at his mother - but that would be too impolite. "Fine," he acquiesced. "But I get to pick the next maid."

At that, Mikoto stopped her theatrics and eyed Itachi with an excited glint in her eyes. "Oh? Who are you thinking of?"

"I would like Natsumi-san to attend to us," he replied, squashing down the small nervousness that he's feeling. He was sure he mother would not disagree, since it's the first time he had handpicked a maid, but he can't help, nor understand the feelings of nervousness he's feeling right now.

At that, Mikoto looked surprised for a moment before she went blank as she eyed him closely, seemingly trying to find something from him. "Okaa-san?" Itachi questioned uncertainly.

Mikoto pursed her lips, but didn't immediately respond. "I'll see what I can do about it," she said at last. She threw one last sad look at him, before sweeping away and leaving Itachi confused. He noted that his mother had not agreed to it and wondered what it is about Natsumi that has her acting this way. Itachi doesn't usually poke his nose into other people's business, but this time, he feels an overwhelming curiosity to find out all he could about the mysterious girl that has caught his attention and has his mother acting this way.

Kisame will laugh at him again for "pining after his maid", but this is one puzzle that he is determined to solve.

...

"Any updates?" Danzo asked as he regarded the scout kneeling on the floor before him.

"It appears that the Uchiha heirs has fired our last agent. The method of blending in does not seem to yield much success," the scout reported, and Danzo hissed in displeasure.

"However, there appears to be some delay this time in replacing the position. Uncertain on what the issue or concern is but it will give us some time to rectify the situation," the scout reported.

Danzo narrowed his eyes at the news, pondering over the possibilities. "Send in our agents again to apply for a position as maids. There would no doubt be vacancies with all the staff changes. I want as many spies as possible inside their manor. Make it their priority to be attached to the Uchiha heirs or to the Head of House."

"Hai, Danzo-sama," the scout bowed before dismissing himself.

"And you?" Danzo asked the other man in the room.

"Initial beginnings of the operation successful, Danzo-sama. Hatake Kakashi trusts me and has taken me under his wings in the Military Police. However, I have not managed to move our relationship beyond that of a professional level. It will take some time before I can get him to trust me with his personal life as well."

"Good, keep it up. You have not disappoint me. Dismissed."

Kinoe bowed and left the room, his face carefully blank like every other agent in the building. Once he has reached his personal quarters, he sighed a breathe of relief and allowed himself to let down his guards just a little bit.

'Being a spy is such a tough job,' he thought woefully. Nonetheless, he's glad that Danzou-sama trusts him with such an important job. It has been years in the making but he's determined to complete the mission and not let the ones who matter down.

* * *

 **Story notes:**

(1) Poor Mikoto is both worried and hopeful that Itachi is regaining memory of Naruto.

 **A/N:**

I'm back? Sorry it took so long to update, but life has been busy and I've been trying to get used to new schedules, juggling my limited free time between humans and personal time. I felt that the storytelling for this story was rather stilted and I wasn't very happy about it. And I'm kinda at a lost of how to change that. For now, I'm trying to link the chapters as much as I can to show the progression, in terms of plot and time, so hopefully that makes it more like a story than a collection of scenes. Constructive comments are welcomed and will be greatly appreciated!

This was supposed to be chapter 4, but as I was editing the original chapter 3 it felt better to have the chapter orders reversed instead, so we get another does of Itachi before we move off elsewhere. To the new followers, welcome, and I hope you enjoy your time here (:


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